Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

In a world where the Avatar wasn't found, the Fire Nation took over two nations and they strive to overcome the last one. Water Tribe warrior Sokka seeks to fight for his people's rights, but he's captured by his enemies. His life is no longer in his hands as he fights as a Gladiator, and his fate will eventually depend on the Fire Nation Princess, who needs him for her own ends...

117. Chapter 117: The Slate3-Toph finds out 1

Despite his measure to keep the sword perfectly lodged inside its sheath so he could fight more freely, Sokka found fighting Haiyan would not prove an easy feat: the powerful and fast swings of her wooden sword sent vibrations through his arms whenever he parried their blows, Space Sword's sheath shaking violently against the blade it lodged.

He didn't hold back, though, and his swings were just as powerful, if not quite as fast. The weight of her sword allowed her to attack faster than him, even though her larger frame hindered her movements, so she could scarcely dodge attacks whenever Space Sword was close to striking her.

The heat within the fighting ring was already difficult to endure, and the gates to the lava hadn't yet opened the first time. Sokka cringed as he parried more of Haiyan's attacks, anxiously glancing down at the gates from time to time as sweat rolled down his brow. She seemed to be even more overwhelmed by the heat than he was, though.

"You holding up okay?!" he asked, after slamming his sword against hers and readying himself to parry her counterattack.

"It's… it's fine!" Haiyan replied. "You're really good, aren't you?!"

"Had to be if I wanted to survive in this Arena the first time!" he said, smiling weakly.

She was certainly one of the most solid sword fighters he'd faced so far in an Arena, though. Sokka couldn't help but remember his complicated sparring sessions with Piandao as she sought to take him down whenever she saw an opening, but unlike his former master, she left a few openings of her own. That's not to say that she didn't cover for them, though, for she struck fast and strong before pulling back into an impeccable defense right away. Whoever had taught her how to fight had been a master much like Sokka's own, there was no doubt about it, though her style felt rather different from Piandao's. Unless she had developed a different kind of swordsmanship after learning with him, her master surely had been someone else.

The sparring was forced to a halt, though, when the sound Sokka hadn't wanted to hear roared through the ring: the gates were opening. Haiyan froze, holding her sword firmly to maintain her defense, but she walked slowly to the border of the platform to look at the molten lava. Sokka did the same, backing away from her and breathing deeply: the lave was slightly more restless today than it had been on his first fight in the Slate. Sparks of flames traveled over the liquid rock, and mixes of gases were released by the scorching heat down below…

"That's a little scary, huh?" said Sokka, with a weak grin. Haiyan panted and nodded.

"More than a little, I'd say," she said, wiping the sweat off her brow. "How did you manage to fight the second best gladiator of the League in here and survive?"

"I always ask myself that question whenever I remember this place exists, if you must know," said Sokka, smiling. Haiyan gave out a bark of laughter.

"Well, let's try to survive today too, shall we?" she said, before lifting her sword in his direction once more.

Yang tensed up as Haiyan took the offensive, the chains suspending the fighting ring rattling as the two fighters clashed together once more. The papers he had scribbled on nervously were crumpled in his fist, something Azula noticed with a flicker of her eyes. She gritted her teeth: she only remembered another sponsor who was as anxious as Yang was right now, the Crimson Wonder's father. Only, Yang's nervousness wasn't going to end quickly as it had for the Crimson Wonder and his dad: Haiyan was determined to fight to her best, and unless Sokka managed to knock her out, Yang's agony would be prolonged for another fifty-five minutes.

"You're ruining your papers," Azula whispered. Yang flinched and looked at her in surprise before swallowing and lowering his hands, straightening out the papers over his lap.

"I… I'm just nervous," he said, gulping and grimacing as Sokka's next attack nearly caught Haiyan in the shoulder. It was Azula who frowned when the swordwoman's wooden blade struck Sokka right afterwards, stabbing his armored torso and forcing him to pull back.

"I guess you're not the only one who should be," Azula whispered, crossing her arms and legs.

Yang chanced a glance at her, not entirely surprised to see she wasn't comfortably by the first blow Haiyan had landed. Nevertheless, it was quite breathtaking to see the partnership he'd admired in action: he had scarcely witnessed the Princess's side of the team before, since she was always up in her balcony, out of sight, while Sokka was the one in the spotlight… yet Azula was acting exactly as Yang would have expected her to. He allowed himself a brief smile, having confirmed that his beliefs about the bond between Blue Wolf and the Princess hadn't been misplaced, before turning to watch the fight again, his eyes gleaming with determination.

Sokka forced himself to focus, his limbs heavy under the strain of the relentless heat. The sound of the gates closing would be welcome, but while Haiyan was strong, it seemed she wasn't as prepared to face the heat as he was… her movements were slowing down, so at any moment he'd have a chance to deliver real damage. Any moment…

A misstep, and he darted forward. Before Haiyan knew it, her wooden sword was soaring through the air, falling in a perfect arch down to the lava.

Sokka made to stab her, but Haiyan wasn't defenseless for long. She whipped out her next wooden sword with a quick move that allowed her to strike Sokka hard on the head, just as he caught her left flank.

They both recoiled after that, Haiyan winding up at the rim of the platform, clutching her aching ribs, while Sokka rubbed his head while hissing in pain. Curses… he drew his hand back to find blood on his hand. Well, that was another miscalculation on his part. His opponent was far too resourceful for that strategy to work.

Azula brought a hand to her face, staring at Sokka with wide eyes. She could see the dark stain on his glove even at a distance, and she was doing everything she could not to make a fuss about it. He couldn't be that careless again or else he'd risk losing altogether…

A hissing sound tore through the Arena suddenly, and everyone frowned. Even Sokka, rubbing his head as he'd been stopped worrying about his wound and stared about himself in confusion…

The source of the sound was revealed soon, though, for Haiyan had to jump back as a projectile soared upwards, dangerously close to the edge of the ring. She gasped, watching as her first wooden sword shot back towards the platform after being launched upwards by the lava below. It spun on itself, creating a wheel of fire as it fell right at the center of the ring, its tip on fire.

Both Sokka and Haiyan stared at it in confusion, wondering just how had it shot upwards as it had after falling into the lava, but Haiyan soon smiled and reached down to take the flaming wooden sword, holding up both her weapons proudly. Sokka grimaced.

"Hey, hey, you do realize that sword's on fire, don't you?" he said.

"Well, I guess you'll have to think of me as a firebender with swords for now!" she replied, dashing forth and causing Sokka to flinch away from her attack.

It was apparent that this wouldn't end well unless he dealt with it fast and turned the tides completely. He had already sustained considerable damage, so it was only logical for him to attack Haiyan overwhelmingly from now on, all caution be damned. He was fond both of her and her husband, but he would be damned if he allowed them to deal him a dreadful loss in as dangerous a place as the Slate.

Not to mention that he was very skilled at fighting firebenders with swords, too: he highly doubted Haiyan's wooden blades and unbent fire would be more dangerous than Azula's.

His free hand moved to his belt and, before Haiyan could get to him, Sokka tossed a small sphere at his opponent. She tried to swat it away with her sword, but the swing missed, and the bomb's content was unleashed around her, stopping her on her tracks as she coughed amid the smelly smoke.

"Oh, no…" Yang gasped, grimacing before standing up. "Haiyan, careful! Remember what I said…!"

There was no way to confirm that she had heard him. A single area of brightness gleamed from within the smoke: the tip of the sword that had bounced back to its owner after falling down into the lava pit, over which the gate was finally closing now. But with the smoke compromising all her senses, Haiyan knew she was in deep trouble…

A swift, cutting sound next to her alarmed her, as the lit-up sword she was holding suddenly was chopped in half. She flinched and pulled back, amid coughs, as Sokka snuffed out the fire on the wood while keeping a hand over his nose and mouth: one less threat to worry about.

The smoke was beyond unpleasant, and Haiyan wasn't sure how to cope with it: dropping on the platform to find clearer air would only result in her body being burned by the heated metal. The Blue Wolf's tactics were far too clever to be outdone, it seemed.

She made her way to the furthest extreme of the platform, gasping and coughing, hopelessly trying to swat away the smoke. She couldn't see, couldn't breathe, couldn't… wait, she could hear. She had a chance to listen, and if she did that, she might sense him coming even if she couldn't see him…

Quick footsteps rushed up to her suddenly, and she lifted the weapon in her hand to receive the attack. The sheathed sword slammed down on hers, and she frowned as she realized he had released it earlier to cut her other blade. If he was going to use his sharp black sword, he might as well do it all along instead of giving her quarter on occasion…

"Not going to cut my other sword?!" she asked, pushing him back before coughing.

Sokka huffed, holding back from replying. He knew better than to open his mouth and inhale too much of his own smoke. Haiyan might already be too intoxicated by the gas and she could have been trying to goad him into winding up in the same state she was in, but he would try to avoid it if possible…

He had released and sheathed Space Sword with difficulty, since the bandage he had wrapped around it to keep it fixed inside the scabbard complicated releasing his weapon. He certainly hoped he wouldn't have to use the sharp blade again, but if she started overcoming him once more, he might need to cut through all her wooden swords one by one… and having to release Space Sword from its tight encasement might prove too tricky to achieve without pulling out his next bomb. So, unless he had no other choice…

Haiyan attacked fiercely, but despite she could hold her own without seeing, she wasn't able to parry all of Sokka's blows. One landed on her flank, another on her shoulder. None of the hits were quite as bad as the one he had received, but by the time the smoke had dispelled enough she was down on her knees, coughing and gasping for breath. The natural sulfur of the volcanic enclosure wasn't helping, either…

She forced herself to stand, now that she could see Sokka. A trail of blood had dropped down his forehead, parting on his nose and streaming down his cheeks. His blue eyes gleamed with determination.

"You're not backing down, are you…?" she asked, huffing and coughing still. Sokka swallowed hard and lifted his sheathed sword again. "This is no good…"

Sokka held his position as Haiyan coughed and supported herself with the sword she was still holding. When she rose to her feet again, she lifted a hand to the weapons she carried on her back, releasing yet another wooden sword. Sokka breathed slowly. Maybe the time to release Space Sword for good would come before he expected it…

Haiyan roared and attacked, her stance unsteady. Sokka flinched, assessing that she had been more affected by the smoke than he had anticipated. He parried her attacks, but it was harder to do so when she was using two swords instead of one. Strangely enough, she didn't take all her chances to strike him, for she had plenty of them. Sokka frowned but carried on fighting, stabbing her in her armored stomach at a certain opportunity and forcing her to recoil, but she jumped forth again right away, swinging the swords wildly.

She wasn't in control anymore, which should have been good news for Sokka, but slamming his sword against the unguarded portions of her arms or legs was the only way to deliver some genuine damage and he seldom had chances to do that. He made the most of his agility, though, pushing Haiyan back to the edge of the ring. She seemed somewhat desperate, but Sokka also sensed she was up to something in particular. What exactly was making her act so erratically? Was this some sort of strange strategy that was backfiring on her, or…?

The questions ended when one of the swords swung straight at his hand, slamming against him with enough force just as he was busy parrying the other one. He was forced to let go of his weapon, crying out in pain… and meanwhile Haiyan twirled Space Sword in her own wooden swords, as though juggling it, before tossing it powerfully at the stands.

Sokka cringed as his hand throbbed, lifting his gaze a little too late to realize what had happened to his sword. He panicked immediately, following the weapon as it soared through the air, and he was filled with relief when Azula caught it. The rest of the people on the stands had recoiled warily from the weapon's trajectory. Well, at least his sword had survived… even if he wouldn't be able to use it anymore.

He scowled at Haiyan, who smiled apologetically at him and shrugged.

"Hey, this is bad enough as it is. I can't let it go on like this, can I?" she asked, lifting her swords again.

"Well, then, if that's how you want it…" Sokka grumbled, his eyebrow twitching as he lifted his two hands to his back.

His right hand still ached, but it didn't matter. He pulled out his boomerang with it, his club in his left. Haiyan's eyes widened, but she braced herself for the Blue Wolf's attack all the same.

The boomerang came first, and as Yang had warned her, Haiyan evaded it on the first half of its trajectory while keeping in mind that it would come hurtling back any moment. But she couldn't lose sight of her opponent either, for he would come rushing up to attack while she was distracted by the boomerang. If she paid too much attention to him, the weapon would strike her, if she didn't then he would be the one hitting her with the club…

So, since she had no way of knowing where the boomerang would go exactly, she picked an unexpected course of action: a barrel roll.

Sokka's eyes widened as he jumped over the woman's large frame, catching his boomerang in midair before turning to find her on her feet again. He huffed and threw the boomerang again, and Haiyan prepared repeat her previous actions…

She failed, though, for Sokka kept his club down as he jumped, and it crashed against her arm now. Haiyan cried out in pain, clutching her shoulder while Sokka clasped the boomerang again. He hated how guilty he felt this time around whenever he harmed Haiyan, despite knowing he should only treat her as he did any other fighter. He didn't like hurting her, but injuring each other was a given in this business: she had hurt him, too, so hesitating by now was pointless.

"Well, you're seriously something, Blue Wolf," she whispered, as the unpleasant sound of the gates opening screeched through the Arena. Sokka swallowed hard.

"Sorry about that," he said, gesturing at her shoulder with his boomerang. She scoffed and smiled.

"Sorry about your broken head, too," she said. Sokka smiled awkwardly. "And about your sword. But hey, you broke mine, I had a right to take away one of your weapons, didn't I?"

"I'm out of two weapons now, though," said Sokka, raising his eyebrows. "You only lost one. So, if it's a matter of fairness…"

"Oh. Huh, I hadn't thought about that," said Haiyan, with an apologetic smile. "Should I toss all my weapons away then?"

"What? If you did, I'd have to do it too!" Sokka said, his eyes wide. "I'm not going to fight you with weapons if you don't have any of your own…"

"Ah, well. In that case maybe we should just resolve this hand-to-hand and stop worrying about weapons, shouldn't we?" she asked, smiling. Sokka frowned.

"But that way you'd… you'd overpower me in a heartbeat," he reasoned. Haiyan laughed.

"Exactly!" she exclaimed, before rushing up to him, her swords in tow.

Sokka snorted and smirked before parrying each wooden sword with his own weapons. This woman was quite possibly just as crazy as her husband was… no wonder they were in love.

The fight prolonged as the weapons clashed together, with Sokka using his boomerang to push the wooden swords out of his way so he could attack his opponent with the club. Haiyan resorted to evading and pulling away from him, waiting for a chance once Sokka's perfect defense failed and allowed her the opportunity to attack him. The gate closed, though, and Sokka had yet to give her a chance to attack at all: despite her best attempts to reach him by now, Sokka was practically invulnerable while attacking her.

His boomerang, sharp as it was, reached her arms more than once, etching a cut across the back of her left hand in one opportunity, another over her exposed right arm. He was holding back with his club, Haiyan realized, but to her chagrin, his holding back was what affiorded him the perfect defense: it seemed there was nothing she could do to catch him unawares now.

The gates kept closing and opening, letting the gladiators know how much time was left for their fight. By the time the gates closed for a fifth time there was nothing to be done but give it their all: only ten minutes remained.

Sokka's chest heaved under his armor, his entire body drenched in sweat. His limbs felt weakened and he would die for a drink of water right then and there. But while he still had one bomb he could use to finish off the fight, he wasn't sure he should use it yet. His opponent had been at her worst when dealing with the curtain of smoke, so he would do best to hold that as his very last resource: he had kept her on the losing end for the majority of the fight, despite the injuries he had sustained. He could keep going like this…

"Okay…" he heard her say, just as he was bracing himself for another of her assaults. "Okay."

"What's… what's the matter?" he asked, short of breath. Haiyan wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. She shook her head and clenched her swords firmly.

"Well… I'm losing, aren't I?" she asked, with a weak grin.

Sokka swallowed hard: Haiyan and Yang couldn't afford to lose, let alone could they afford any serious injuries Haiyan might sustain. He knew so, and that was one of the reasons why he had held back through the combat. But just as he didn't want them to lose, Sokka didn't want to lose either. Maybe they both ought to dive out of the platform at the same time while the gates were closed, and the fight would turn out to be a tie…

"Don't worry, Blue Wolf," said Haiyan, smiling a little more earnestly now. "You're a gladiator. You're here to do your best, aren't you?"

"I guess I am," he whispered.

"Yang keeps talking about your partnership with the Princess, how you represent her in the ring…" Haiyan said, raising her eyebrows. "You can't half-ass this, even if you want to. You owe it to her, don't you?"

Sokka gulped and nodded. He owed far too much to his sponsor, more than Haiyan would ever know about. Putting forth his everything to seize a victory for them was his objective on a constant basis: there was nothing else he wanted quite as much as to give Azula the satisfaction she deserved. Making her proud, helping her stand above everyone else's expectations… it was her goal just as it was his. Fighting for her had become everything he strived for.

But wasn't it the same for Haiyan and Yang?

Sokka breathed deeply, lowering his eyes before raising his hand. Haiyan took a defensive stance warily, but she frowned as she realized he was sheathing his boomerang. And his club.

"What are you…?" she asked, before Sokka smiled at her.

"Come on. You said you wanted to do it hand-to-hand, didn't you?" he said.

Haiyan's eyes widened, as did everyone else's. Yet Azula smiled: she had known Sokka wouldn't fight Haiyan the way he always did, and she was pleased about it, despite herself. She had never been quite as worried about the wellbeing of their opponents as she had been this time.

"W-wait, what?" said Haiyan, blinking blankly. Sokka smirked.

"Come on now, we can do it this way just fine too. Give it your best, Haiyan!" he exclaimed, lifting his fists.

Haiyan's eyes strayed towards the stands, where her husband sat with his mouth wide open. She caught sight of the Princess too, who was smiling approvingly at her own gladiator. Haiyan swallowed, wondering if this was just another display of the Blue Wolf's unpredictability: Yang had warned her of it before, but she hadn't quite understood what it entailed. Would it be fair at all, fighting him with no weapons, in their current state? Haiyan doubted it, but… but it didn't look like he was going to release his weapons again. And if he wouldn't…

Yang stood up, staring down at the fighting ring with disbelief. The battle would be resolved through physical prowess, and that alone, it seemed. Whatever happened now would decide the ultimate winner, regardless of who had dominated the fight at first or who had done it for the last forty minutes…

But regardless of how conflicted everyone, even Haiyan, had expected him to be, Yang had sorted out his priorities long before entering this Arena. So, with a deep intake of breath, and his fists clenched, he readied himself to follow his hero's lead, and do the unexpected:

"GO! HAIYAN, BEAT HIM!"

Her eyes widened, her cheeks flushing as she stared at her husband. Sokka's smile broadened, as he stood with his hands in fists, and Haiyan snorted and laughed before nodding and abiding by Yang's command. She turned to Sokka, her eyes filled with determination, and she sheathed her weapons as well.

"Well, then…" she said, with a soft laugh. "What are we waiting for?"

Sokka lunged forth, his mind set on blocking Haiyan's chi, but he made a feint to the left just before he reached her. Haiyan read through him perfectly, though, and with a muscular fist she caught Sokka's armored forearm and sent him jumping away from her again. He huffed, looking at her in disbelief as she moved forth, punching with her right and left fist in immediate succession.

Sokka tried to defend himself from the barrage of fists raining on him, but it was no easy feat. He actually laughed as he struggled to evade her, and he caught her left fist with his right hand at a certain point, but that only served for Haiyan to kick him in the chest and send him rolling on the platform until he crashed against the railing.

"Woah, woah… okay, you're good at that," he said, breathing out slowly and standing up. Haiyan smiled, brushing a strand of hair that had slipped into her vision.

"And I'm not even at my best, heh?" she said.

Sokka smiled as he rushed in to attack again. His agility allowed him to dodge her without too much trouble, but her overwhelming offense doubled as a perfect defense, much as his previous defense had been invulnerable earlier. He huffed but didn't stop trying, though. He would find a way to reach her, a chance, any chance…

He ducked after one punch directed to his face, but that only resulted in her knee crashing straight into his nose. Those at the stands gasped, but despite the pain, Sokka stood his ground, his hands clasping Haiyan's thigh and pulling at it brusquely.

Haiyan gasped as she lost her balance. Sokka clasped her wrist with a hand, twisting it behind her back before pushing her down to her knees. He hesitated, though, unwilling to press her to the heated metal platform just as the gate underneath slid open for the last time.

Haiyan took his hesitation to twist in his hold and kick his chest. Sokka flinched and released her, but just as she jumped to her feet to attack him once more, he tackled her and knocked her down once again. There was no real technique to what he was doing, and it was apparent to Haiyan as well, for he heard her laugh in disbelief as she struggled to make her bearings again. Still, Sokka wasn't sure technique would win this fight: she was superior by far in terms of hand-to-hand combat, and being utterly reckless was likely his better alternative right now.

So he bolted to his feet, dashed forth to attack her again, but Haiyan held her ground and shoved him away. Sokka huffed and wiped something off his face… there was blood on his glove when he pulled it back. So she'd given him a nosebleed when she'd kneed him that way. He huffed as Haiyan lunged towards him, packing a powerful fist to strike him down.

He jumped to evade her, but it was a very short jump, one that didn't put him out of danger completely. But reckless as he was, he didn't care: this was his chance.

His punch flew upwards and struck Haiyan's jaw from below powerfully. He knew firsthand just how bad such wounds were, and he certainly hoped she hadn't bitten her tongue by accident with that, but if he didn't attack upon finding that opportunity, he'd be damned into losing just as he almost did in his fight against the Red-Striped Hornet. As much as he didn't like having to fight Haiyan, she wasn't pulling her punches: neither could he.

Haiyan stumbled and clutched her jaw, her eyes closed as she put distance between herself and Sokka, an arm stretched out just in case he came any closer. Sokka breathed out slowly, wiping his still dripping nose with the back of his hand.

Haiyan huffed and attacked again, but she was disoriented by now. Sokka parried the attacks, finding them less steady than before. The heat was getting to her again, and so was her own exhaustion. He still had a bomb in his belt, but he didn't dare use it. He couldn't do it. He was tired, thirsty and he certainly could use some treatment for his wounds, but she was struggling to keep standing upright by now. She was losing balance, the last blow she had received had overwhelmed her. One more and she might be out cold…

"Hey," he called, lifting his fists again as she stood away from him, breathing heavily. "Don't worry, it's almost over now. We'll be out of here before you know it"

"I know, I… I know," she said, smiling weakly. "It's just too hot in here…"

"Yeah, but we'll be able to soak in cold water later if we need it. Promised thing," said Sokka, smiling. Haiyan laughed.

"Fine, I'll… I'll need a pretty nice water bucket. And a long bath," she said.

"I'd hope my sponsor can arrange that on the way home," he said, smiling. "Come now, it won't be long before it's over. You can do this."

"Yeah. Yeah…" said Haiyan, nodding and standing upright with difficulty, her eyesight blurry. "Let's do this…"

She threw a few more punches in his direction, and Sokka defended himself perfectly, albeit he didn't dare attack. Knocking out his foe was usually a priority on his mind, but after an hour of fighting non-stop in that hellish ring, he didn't feel it was right to knock Haiyan unconscious, despite he had several chances to do so. He didn't want to do it. He'd feel a lot better about everything if they reached the very end of the fight fully conscious, after battling so hard for so long.

But even so, Haiyan collapsed despite Sokka's best efforts to prevent it. She fell on her knees, breathing with difficulty, a soft wheezing sound accompanying every rise and fall of her chest. Sokka swallowed, despite his mouth was too dry for him to actually swallow anything, and he knelt before her.

"Hey… you're still there, right?" he asked. Haiyan nodded weakly. "Good. Just… stay with me. It's just a little longer and we're finished…"

"You must've… won, huh?" Haiyan said, with a husky voice. "Yang should be… should be happy either way. Though I… I really don't want to give up…"

"Then don't," said Sokka, smiling. "Come now… one more punch. You can do it! Try to do it, you know you…! Woah! Hey, I thought you'd wait until I was done talking!"

"It was the best way to take you by surprise…" said Haiyan, laughing softly as she stretched her powerful fists a few more times. "There. I tried… now… do I get a drink?"

"You…" said Sokka, as he caught her punches in his hands. He smiled as he heard a metallic noise below them. "Yes. Yes, you do."

He lifted his gaze to the stands, looking for his sponsor as ever. She nodded at him, and he grinned while helping Haiyan up to her feet. Haiyan frowned, though she didn't try to attack him anymore.

"Is it… over?" she asked, as Sokka struggled to lift her.

"Yep!" he said, smiling over at the stands. "We're done for the day, Haiyan… at last, eh?"

"I'm never fighting here again," she said, shaking her head as she slumped on Sokka's shoulder. The two of them had to stay where they were for a little longer, waiting for the staff members to extend the retractile bridges.

"Well! That was a truly impressive spectacle," said the head of the judges in the Slate. "And one of the few fights in the Slate that actually took a whole hour!"

"Yes, yes, it was quite the combat to behold," said another one, smiling at the sponsors.

"Who won, though?" Yang asked, looking at them with uncertainty. The judges glanced amongst themselves before readying to answer.

"Well… as it happens, it's a very tough call. But given her state by the end of the fight, and the higher effectiveness of the Blue Wolf, well…"

"We are leaning towards awarding the victory to the Princess's gladiator," finished the head judge.

Azula clenched her jaw and glanced at Yang: the writer didn't seem particularly happy, but he smiled nonetheless and nodded.

"I understand. Either way, they are both winners! They survived the Slate!" he said, smiling at Azula. She smiled back, despite it all.

"That they did. It's certainly something worth celebrating, isn't it?" she said. Yang laughed.

"And it was a wonderful fight! Ah, I must write it down, as soon as I check on Haiyan…"

"Write it down?" asked one of the judges. Yang froze on his spot.

"O-oh, well, I, uh… I like to write down my version of the fights after watching them, hehe," said Yang, with a nervous smile as he stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me!"

He rushed off to see his wife without further ado: Azula was about to follow him out of the stands, but she caught sight of Yang's crumpled papers, which he had left behind in his hurry. She picked them up, catching the eye of the curious judge from before.

"That sponsor happens to be a writer," she mentioned to him. "I have no idea how good he is, though."

"May I have a look at that, if it please you, Princess?" the judge asked. She shrugged.

"I don't think he even remembers he wrote this, busy with the fight as he was," she admitted, handing it over. "Do return it to him later, if you'd be so kind."

"Of course, Princess," said the judge, smiling.

She took off to check on Sokka as well, trying not to be too hasty, but even though she would have gladly thrown her arms around his neck and kissed him with utmost joy, she was forced to hold back since he was being tended to by physicians once she reached him. They had quite a lot of water for him, which he drank gratefully, pouring some of it upon his overheated body.

"Ah… hey there," he said, groggily, smiling at Azula. "I did it! One whole hour, and I'm still standing! Though I… I'd love to just lie down not do anything for days, you know…"

"No kidding," said Azula, smiling back. "I just might let you take a few days off indeed, for once. We've won again, seems like…"

"Heh? Well, that's nice to hear," he said, smiling. "Despite all the blood she drew from me, eh? Looks like I break too easily…"

"Considering you were still standing upright at the end, you're not quite that easy to break," said Azula, as Sokka was forced to sit down so the staff members could treat his visible wounds. "Also… I think I'll be holding onto this for the time being. You really need to stop losing your sword in this dreadful place, you know?"

Sokka snorted and smiled guiltily as Azula held up Space Sword for him to see.

"Thanks. Whatever I'd do without… my sword, eh?" he said, chuckling. Azula crooked an eyebrow, sensing his hesitation over finishing his sentence, even if it didn't seem the staff members had noticed it. He was certainly going to say something else, but fortunately he had caught himself before uttering anything too compromising.

He was regaining his strength through hydration, although he was undeniably appealed by the prospect of just sleeping for hours on end after the overwhelming fight. But as he was, all he could do was stare at his sponsor, at the pleased smile on his face, at her gentle eyes. The urge to celebrate their success properly was hard to ignore, but fortunately he wasn't strong enough to hug her as tightly as he would have wanted to. He'd have to save it for later, once they were alone…

"But if we won, then… they won't get a bunch of money from this fight, huh?" Sokka asked, looking at Azula. Changing the subject to Haiyan and Yang might help him resist the temptations the Princess posed for him. "That's too bad…"

"I could hand it over to them, if you don't care for it," Azula suggested, shrugging. "I don't think I'll be needing it too urgently…"

"Heh, it's always nice when you're charitable that way," said Sokka. Azula's eyebrow twitched.

"I'm not charitable. Shut your mouth," she grunted. He snickered.

After his head was properly bandaged and his bruises dealt with, they moved to the vestibule, where Azula would be granted their trophy, acknowledging their success at the most dangerous Arena of the League for the second time in a row, and for the last, too. But as they approached the vestibule, where Haiyan stood by Yang's side, a hand on his shoulder for support, Azula found the judge from earlier was holding Yang's crumpled paper and speaking to him earnestly. The young man's jaw had dropped, and his hands trembled while listening to the judge.

"What's up with them?" Sokka asked, looking at Azula. She shrugged.

"All I know is that the paper is whatever he'd been writing before the fight, but…"

There was nothing for them to do but watch from afar as Yang froze on his spot, and Haiyan made sure to hold him upright before he collapsed from the shock. He seemed to snap out of it soon enough, though, and he turned to look at his wife with the brightest smile extending over his face.

"I'm… I'm going to have a job now?" he said, as Haiyan smiled despite of how weak she felt. "A job, Haiyan! You won't have to work so hard anymore!"

"Wait, what?" Azula said, surprised. "What job…? What's going on?"

"Well, you see, Princess," said the judge who had Yang's papers in his hands, smiling at her. "We have been planning on testing new methods to publicize the League, and with this young man's initiative to record the fights he witnesses, I believe we could use what he writes to spread the word about the League. Naturally, we'd pay him for it…"

"Woah… really now?" said Sokka, smiling as Yang and Haiyan hugged in celebration.

"A job! A real job! A writing job!" Yang exclaimed, as Haiyan laughed. "This is wonderful!"

"Doesn't feel like we lost at all, huh?" said Haiyan, smiling. Yang's bright grin only gleamed more.

"It certainly doesn't," he said, giggling before hugging her again.

Azula raised her eyebrows and looked at Sokka, who snorted and laughed before shrugging in her direction.

"Look at that, eh? We helped them anyways, even without the charity," he said, grinning. Azula smiled.

"Looks like we did," she agreed, as the judges and the chairman readied themselves to grant her and Sokka their award for their triumph. Despite everything, challenging those two at the Slate had paid off for everyone involved.

Yang and Haiyan were elated by the unexpected job offer, but the gladiator was certainly too tired to bask in it just yet. She hardly left their cabin on their way home, and Sokka did the same, for they were too exhausted and affected by the extreme fighting conditions to recover too easily. Both Yang and Azula were rather proud of them, and they gave them all the respite they needed; even though the victors had been the Blue Wolf and the Princess, Haiyan and Yang weren't bitter over the fight's result in the slightest.

The four of them headed to the Grand Royal Dome as soon as they arrived in the capital, taking a carriage to the location. Yang had to sign contracts and finish settling everything that was needed for his new job, as he was carrying a recommendation letter that the judges had granted him. He was smiling brightly as they entered the vestibule, clutching the paper to his chest.

"I… I really can't believe this is happening," he said. Haiyan placed a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Everything will go just right, Yang," she replied, smiling fondly. "Come on, then, dear. It's the third floor, right?"

"Right," he said, before turning to Azula and Sokka. "We… we certainly owe you so much, Princess, Blue Wolf. I'm forever grateful…"

"Oh, don't worry about it," said Sokka, smiling and waving a hand carelessly. "We're happy to have helped you guys, right, Princess?"

Azula raised an inquisitive eyebrow in his direction, and he smiled widely at her. She huffed and shook her head, but she looked at Yang now.

"Do your best with this job," she said. "I'll be looking forward to reading whatever fight reviews you'll be writing. Good luck, both of you."

"Thank you very much, Princess," said Haiyan, bowing her head and smiling kindly. "We are forever indebted to you."

"As long as you make the most of it, there will be no reason to worry about debts or anything of the sort," said Azula, nodding in her direction. Yang sniffed, his eyes tearful.

"Oh, I'd hug you but it's just so inappropriate…" he said, lowering his head. Azula smirked.

"Certainly, but… I suppose you're allowed to hug my gladiator, if you really must hug someone," she said. Sokka's eyes widened.

"He is?" he asked. Azula smirked as Yang laughed nervously before throwing his arms around Sokka. "O-okay, he is… dang, you're crushing me, Yang!"

"Sorry, sorry!" said Yang, laughing happily. "Well, we're off then! We won't miss your next fights, Blue Wolf! Thanks for everything!"

"Yes, we figured as much. Now run along, run along. The job offer won't wait forever," Azula said, urging them to head upstairs.

Yang and Haiyan waved at them as they approached the stairs, and they kept doing so until they were out of sight. Azula breathed out in relief, and Sokka smiled next to her.

"Doing the right thing is nice, huh?"

"If you must know, I was just pleased it's over," she lied. Sokka smirked.

"As if," he said, shaking his head. "You like helping your people, it's clear as day. And I like helping you help them, too. It just convinces me further that you'll be the best Fire Lord to be seen in ages."

"Heh. Such flattering words," said Azula, smirking slightly. "Well, then, we happen to be here for a reason other than to see those two off, in case you forgot…"

"Ah, I didn't forget. Let's get this over with," said Sokka, grimacing as the two of them approached Shoji's counter: it was time to put the Slate behind them for good.

Only, they couldn't do it as easily as that just yet.

"And… who are you giving up the right to challenge to?" Shoji asked them, smiling awkwardly.

Azula's eyebrow twitched and Sokka huffed: they'd forgotten to discuss that.

"Do we have to choose someone immediately if we want to give up the right to challenge?" Sokka asked. "Or can it wait?"

"Well, it could wait, but the sooner you choose, the better," said Shoji, biting his lip. "I think it's okay if you give it to anyone in the upper half of the ranking…"

"We could give it right back to the Millennium Dragon," said Sokka. "He's a cool guy, and he's strong enough to survive there, so…"

"He seemed to be a good man, but his sponsor certainly isn't one," Azula declared. "For all we know, he'd use the right to challenge for a rematch. I'm not taking that risk."

"Okay, okay, gotcha," said Sokka, gulping. "Then whoever's third? The Light Bearer, was it…?"

"Eh, Spicy!" exclaimed someone right behind them.

Azula stiffened immediately upon hearing a familiar voice she hadn't heard for months. Despite living in the same place, it wasn't frequent for her to run into Toph or her sponsor in the Fire Nation Palace. No doubt it was also due to her constant travels, and to the fact that she was seldom home since she spent most her free time at Sokka's house… but she certainly hadn't been desperate to see Toph again, despite the earthbender looked quite enthusiastic about their reencounter.

"Been forever, hasn't it? How've you been, Spicy, Wolf?" Toph said, patting their backs with her strong hands.

"Wolf?" Sokka repeated, raising his eyebrow. "I've suddenly been promoted back to wolf, huh? Not a dog anymore?"

"Oh, gee, sorry about that. My mistake, Dog, I forgot your actual rank…"

"Yep, too good to be true, wasn't it?" he said, with a slight smirk. Toph snickered in his direction.

She turned towards Azula, an unexpectedly hopeful smile on her face. It seemed she might have been waiting to meet them again to know if their relationship had been damaged beyond repair over her latest victory against Sokka. The Princess only regarded her with a raised eyebrow, holding her silence briefly, enough that Toph's smile waned slightly…

"I suppose I ought to rejoice because you haven't forgotten my nickname, Dirt Worm," she finally said, just as Toph started to dread having lost all the progress she'd made with the Princess. She snorted upon hearing that response, though.

"And you didn't forget mine, eh? Oh, I heard you were off at the Slate again, by the way! How did that go?" she asked, excitedly. Sokka blinked blankly.

"Why, we won. Didn't think you'd be so eager to hear that…" he said, with a crooked grin. Toph shrugged.

"It's something I've never experienced, you know? The Slate," she said. "I'm just curious about it, is all! Who did you fight this time?"

"It was a non-bender, wasn't it?"

Iroh's voice wasn't quite as welcome as Toph's, especially because it was lined with a tone that didn't bode anything good. Azula's eyes narrowed as she glanced at her uncle, finding he was smiling as he approached Toph… it wasn't his usual, joyful smile, though. That hint of intelligence in his golden eyes meant he had something in mind. Azula had little trouble guessing what it might be.

"Indeed," she said, curtly. "A strong one, but we were triumphant regardless."

"Why, no doubt," said Iroh. "I certainly imagined that you would choose an opponent you knew you could defeat. After the Blue Wolf's less than stellar performances lately, you must have known to pick your battles carefully."

Azula's scathing glare met Iroh's, a sharp clash of intellects and animosity. Sokka gritted his teeth at their family feud, knowing better than to interfere in it just yet. He glanced at Toph, who seemed every bit as uneasy as he did… perhaps he could change the subject instead?

"S-so, what about you? What exactly are you guys here for, huh?" Sokka asked.

"Got a fight right now. Someone from the top hundred, actually," Toph said, smirking proudly.

"Top hundred? So, is it like the ninety-ninth gladiator?" Sokka asked, smirking too. Toph gave out a bark of laughter.

"Yeah, sure, you really are a riot, Dog!" she said, punching his arm. "And what about you two, though? You were off in the Slate just a while ago, do you have another fight right now?"

"Uh, no, we just were here to…" said Sokka, looking at Azula with unease. Her sharp gaze met his now, as they both guessed Iroh might become even more unpleasant if he knew why they were in the Dome today… yet the man guessed the reason behind their visit before either the Princess or her gladiator decided to speak out about it or not.

"To give up the right to challenge in the Slate?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Sokka cringed, and Toph's eyes widened.

"What, really? Why the heck would you do that?" she asked, her fists on her waist. "It sounds like the coolest place to fight in, you shouldn't do that!"

"I suppose we have different standards for what qualifies as 'cool', Bandit," Azula grunted. "It's none of your business why we're doing it, we just are. Go ahead and sign in for your fight, we'll finish what we were doing when you're through with that."

"Why, thank you, Princess Azula. How thoughtful," said Iroh, smiling, yet making no move to do as Azula had told him to. "I suppose that thoughtfulness is becoming one of your defining traits, eh? No doubt you're surrendering the right to challenge out of fear of any potential injuries, perhaps even death, to your gladiator… or am I mistaken?"

Azula remained silent, her brow furrowing further, but instead of taking that silence as an unspoken warning of her wrath, Iroh only carried on talking, pouring all the salt he could into the open wound.

"I've heard of what happened with that Kinslayer," he said. Sokka clenched his jaw, a fist tightening as his stomach twisted: Iroh absolutely wasn't pulling his punches today, was he? "A newcomer, isn't it? And yet the Blue Wolf lost… you had to intervene to keep his opponent from delivering a finishing blow, yes. Not a lot of sponsors would dare do such a thing, but then again, not a lot of sponsors would need to, especially not those of the better fighters. I suppose the Blue Wolf's surrender of this challenge might just mean he's not cut out to withstand the pressures of being one of the top fighters in the Superior League… or am I mistaken?"

Azula knew what he was doing. She knew he was playing her, just as he had when he had manipulated matters so she would have to chase after the Rough Rhinos, while trying to force her to give up her progress in the Gladiator League. She hated proving him right: her pride ushered her to show him his every word was unfounded, that Sokka was more than cut out for the challenges ahead…

But he was dead wrong if he thought she would risk Sokka's life just to play into Iroh's hand.

She turned to Shoji, who seemed quite daunted by the scene taking place before his counter, and he was even more daunted yet under the Princess's heavy frown.

"I give up the right to challenge…" she started, and Sokka's eyes widened upon understanding what she'd do. "… To the Blind Bandit."

Toph gasped in surprise, and even Iroh froze where he stood. He had tried to back Azula into a corner, forgetting that he hadn't covered all his bases: forgetting that, just as he was willing to force her into an unwanted situation, she was perfectly willing to do the same to him.

"A-are you sure, Princess…?" Shoji asked. Azula's heavy frown only grew more dangerous.

"Did I stutter?" she snapped. Shoji shook his head, finishing the form to allow Azula to give up the right to challenge, now that every field required had been filled as needed. Once he was finished, she nodded curtly. "Good day, Shoji."

She didn't bother saying another word to Iroh or Toph, choosing to storm off between them, her eyes set on the doors. Sokka lagged behind, staring at her in disbelief. What on earth had she done? She was certainly going to regret it, if she wasn't regretting it already… oh, she surely was regretting it already, Sokka knew her well enough to notice that. She had been too reckless, and she should have thought it through… but Iroh had pushed her buttons for the last time, or at least that was what she was likely telling herself by now. She wouldn't allow him to mock her for a moment longer.

He glanced at Toph in concern, finding she seemed shocked, but not entirely disturbed by the idea. Knowing the reckless earthbender, she had no notion of the dangers the Slate posed for someone like her. Sokka grimaced, shaking his head before dashing off after Azula. She really hadn't thought this through, not at all…

"Hey, hey!" he called her, as she stopped to wait for Xin Long, who was descending slowly upon the street.

Her head was uncharacteristically bowed down, her hands balled into fists, her back slightly hunched. Sokka clenched his teeth as he climbed down the steps that separated them.

"Azula…"

"I know, I know, I… I shouldn't have done that," she said, bringing a hand to her face and snarling. "I wasn't thinking, and now she's the one who's going to face the consequences for it, but I just…!"

She fell silent when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him warily, warning him not to dare do anything else, but she didn't need to. He wasn't looking at her with disappointment, or indignation, but with concern instead. He understood what was on her mind, and why she had acted so rashly… and strangely enough, he wasn't judging her harshly for it.

"I get it," he muttered, frowning. "But we should… we should do something. Anything! Maybe tell Toph to convince Iroh to challenge us there, I don't know, but… but you know she doesn't stand a chance in the Slate. There's no way an earthbender can fight there and survive."

"I… I know. But maybe she'd be able to survive, even if she loses. She's stronger than everyone else, isn't she? The best earthbender in the world…" said Azula, frowning. Sokka gritted his teeth.

"I don't know if she's going to be that strong when facing so many disadvantages," he said. "But even if she were, it's still a risk. If she fights me, though…"

"There's no way that's going to happen," said Azula, burying her face in her hand. "Iroh would never challenge us if he thinks there's a chance you might defeat Toph. Which is… partly why I knew it was the best move for us to make."

"Azula…" said Sokka, as she huffed and shook her head, climbing onto her dragon's saddle once he landed before her.

He followed her lead, looking at her with concern as she ushered Xin Long to fly them to Sokka's house. The dragon took off, and Sokka reached to clasp her hand with his own once they were too far for anyone to glimpse the affectionate gesture from below.

"I understand why you did what you did, believe me. But we have to do something anyways," he muttered. "There's no way we can just let her go down in flames like this, no matter if she's unbeatable for me. It's just… not right."

"I know that," said Azula, sighing. "And I didn't do it to damage her, but… curses, I can't stand him. I… I thought he'd get over this eventually, but no, he's just… he keeps trying to play us, to push me to prove myself somehow, like I haven't been doing it for ages. I mean, what is he after, really? Is it he's suspecting our relationship or something…?"

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked, frowning.

"The way he was demeaning your latest performances, acting like… like our strategies are failing us, like you're weak when you've never been stronger. Like the ranking position of your opponents are the only indicators of their strength," Azula grunted, her fists clenched. "He was pushing me to not rescind the right to challenge, you saw it as well as I did. He wanted me to succumb to the urge to prove him wrong, and to put you in mortal danger again in the process. And why? Because… because he's been trying to ruin my run in this business ever since he first heard of it. This was just another of his ploys to achieve that goal."

Sokka gulped, holding his silence. He had held his own opinion of Iroh at bay for a while, albeit it was clearly influenced by Azula's, but he had a hard time giving the old man the benefit of the doubt ever since he challenged them for that last fight against Toph. His attitude just now hadn't changed Sokka's mind in the slightest either, not when it appeared as though he would gladly see Sokka die just to teach his niece some lesson she didn't need to learn.

"Well, it's either a ploy to achieve that, or it's his attempt to uncover our relationship," she finished. Sokka frowned.

"How? Did he expect you to become a sobbing mess over the mere idea of seeing me in the Slate again or something?" he said. "How would that have helped him figure us out? And how could he suspect us at all, too…?"

"That I don't know," Azula admitted. "But he might have been testing how far I'm willing to go to protect you. What I did should have made him worry over his gladiator's wellbeing and deflected his attention from us completely… so I don't think I've revealed us or given him further cause to suspect us. But if he really did suspect…"

Xin Long touched down on the backyard of Sokka's house, and Azula sighed before shaking her head. Sokka gritted his teeth.

"I should head home," she said suddenly. His eyes widened.

"Wait, but…" he started, though he didn't know what to say. Reminding her that they hadn't had any chances to be together privately since four days ago wouldn't likely do much to convince her to stay, not when she was conflicted and troubled by her actions.

"I have to report to my father, let him know I've arrived home safely," she said, glancing at Sokka over her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I figure you would have wanted to talk more about this… but the entire matter is bleak enough as it is, isn't it? I mean… there's nothing to be done about it anymore. I've sentenced Toph to… to something I really didn't mean to, all because of Iroh. All because he wanted to teach me a lesson, and I thought it'd be best if I taught him one instead…"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it," said Sokka, frowning and hugging her tight. Azula sighed and shook her head. "For all we know, we're worrying over nothing. She might end up bending the lava or something, and we'll all be laughing about it later on…"

"Heh. That'd certainly be convenient," she said, relaxing in his arms before reaching back to press her lips to his softly. "But I should go see my father now, if you don't mind…"

"Okay, okay… I got it," said Sokka, sighing. "Got to act normal, and that's what you normally do after a trip, so okay…"

She smiled a little as he jumped off the saddle, and he turned to her with a smile as well.

"Though I do have to say I'm slightly impatient by now," he said, smirking a little. "Don't be too surprised if you find a Royal Guard mysteriously standing before your regal bedchamber tonight, Princess…"

He made a ceremonious bow, though it was actually quite graceless in his bold movements. Azula smiled and shook her head.

"You're so incorrigible…" she said, as he chuckled. "I'll see you, then."

"Bye," he whispered, watching Xin Long lift himself to his hind legs before shooting off into the sky with the force of his thighs.

Azula's conscience had been tormenting her for years now, namely ever since Sokka had entered her life to stay, but it was far worse right now than it had been in a long time. She clenched her teeth and clutched at Xin Long's reins unnecessarily, as he flew towards the Palace. She had to stop worrying about Toph – surely she'd find a way to fight successfully in the Slate, the girl was resourceful enough to achieve the unthinkable – and she had to stop Iroh's manipulative ploys from affecting her as they did. She truly hoped that what she'd done would make him rethink his actions and reconsider his recklessness: she wasn't someone to be trifled with, and he certainly didn't want to anger her more than he already had. Azula wasn't entirely sure just how far she would be willing to go to defeat her uncle for good, and she certainly didn't want to discover those limits, or lack thereof, if she could avoid it, especially if people like Sokka and Toph could become collateral damage of the war Iroh and herself waged upon each other.

She would have continued to ponder the situation, but the sight of fire in the Palace gardens made her frown. That was unusual: was something wrong? Had someone snuck inside, and the guards were stopping them, maybe?

The closer they got, the better she could see what was happening. She raised her eyebrows when she finally identified the two shirtless men bending at each other not too far from the turtle-duck pond.

"What the…?" she whispered, as Xin Long dropped down at a fair distance from the men, eyeing them with curiosity and uncertainty. Azula's eyes were wide, as she was rendered as good as speechless by the sight before her.

Ozai's superiority in bending was notorious, his skill had been renowned since his youth and he hadn't slacked off during his adult years either. Zhao was a potent firebender, crafting immense formations of fire that any common bender would have failed to produce, but it wasn't cause for concern for the Lord of the Fire Nation. He would bend Zhao's fire right back at him, a technique he had taught to his daughter, forcing his friend to evade the attack or defend against it, both of which left Zhao highly vulnerable.

Ozai's potent fire blasts could scarcely be countered, even for a talented bender like Zhao. Azula watched her father's firebending display with admiration as he knocked the Admiral down with the power of a punch, and he lifted both his hands right afterwards while standing over Zhao… with a plum of charged and highly volatile fire waiting on the palm of his hand.

Zhao's eyes were lined with fear over the threat Ozai was wielding. Even Azula froze where she stood, recognizing her father's strongest bending technique. She never had a shred of a doubt that, when he charged an attack, he would be the uncontested winner of any battle…

And just as he was capable of charging a plum of fire with ease, he was just as capable of making it vanish as soon as Zhao said the words:

"I give up."

Ozai's face broke into a proud grin as the fire dissipated. Zhao huffed and dropped his head on the ground while Ozai turned to where he had seen Azula's dragon descending. He smiled and bowed his head towards her.

"You arrived just in time for the grand finale. Welcome home, Azula," he said, smirking. Zhao huffed.

"Is that why you got so much rougher suddenly? You were showing off before your daughter?" he asked, pushing himself up with difficulty. Ozai laughed and extended a hand towards him, which Zhao clasped to get back on his feet.

"Certainly, it is, Zhao. It's been a long time since I last impressed Azula with my bending, and going by how strong she has become, chances are I didn't impress her at all even now. Or did I?"

Azula couldn't help but smile as she climbed off Xin Long's saddle. Zhao eyed the dragon with curiosity, having only seen him at a distance so far, but Xin Long seemed a little too preoccupied by his rider's current concerns to pay anyone else much attention. He only watched as Azula moved towards the two men, her eyebrows raised.

"It was quite a remarkable display of firebending mastery, as ever, Father," she said. "Though I am rather curious as to why you were displaying it at all. Did you two have an argument, by any chance, and decided to settle it by sparring?"

"Why, of course not. Who do you take us for, truly? That sounds like such an uncivilized practice…" said Ozai, smirking at Zhao with amusement. His friend huffed and shook his head.

"We did have an argument, unsurprisingly," said Zhao. "But this was supposed to be training, Princess. Fire Lord Ozai decided I needed to polish my skills so that…"

"So that you won't be beaten by Zuko or anyone else who challenges you to an Agni Kai?" Azula asked, amused. Zhao sighed.

"As I can see, you two seem to have very similar thought patterns," he said, as father and daughter laughed at unison. It wasn't a sight many people had witnessed, and it would certainly scare most anyone, but not Zhao. He had known Ozai for a long time, and he had been part of Azula's life ever since she was a child. Being the punchline of their jokes wasn't an entirely new experience for him.

"It would seem our Admiral has grown complacent," said Ozai. "Too many years spent at the top of the chain of command has led him to neglect his firebending. I expected to remediate that, despite he was most unwilling to comply."

"Why would I have wanted to set myself up for a promised embarrassment?" said Zhao, shaking his head. "Even in our youth I could never beat you, Ozai…"

"Perhaps that is so, but I'd rather not see one of my highest ranked officers shamed by treasonous princes," said Ozai, proudly. "So, from now on, whenever you're available, we shall train to ensure you won't lose against weaklings again."

Zhao sighed and shook his head, eyeing Ozai apprehensively. Azula only smiled awkwardly at the two of them, not expecting her father to turn to her suddenly, the glint of an idea in his pleased smirk.

"Though I suppose there's someone else who should prove a greater challenge for you to fight, greater than I could ever be…"

Azula's eyes widened, and Zhao's did the same. He could not be more taken aback as he glanced at the Princess warily: Ozai folded his arms over his chest, as good as beaming at his daughter.

"T-that's… should I, really?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "I've never crossed blows with the Admiral before, whether in training or otherwise…"

"Well, no better moment to begin, is there?" said Ozai, spreading an arm and gesturing at Zhao. "Do show him what a truly masterful firebender looks like, my child."

She didn't want to feel proud of hearing him say those words, she truly didn't, but there wasn't much she could do to stop the emotion from surging within her chest. Her fire flared, and she ached to prove herself to Zhao: how long had she been waiting for such a priceless opportunity? Why was she hesitating now, when she could finally make him respect her for who she was…?

"Well, we don't really have a choice, do we?" Azula told Zhao, who sighed. "The Fire Lord commands it, after all."

"The Fire Lord shall be my undoing at this rate," said Zhao, shaking his head but taking a few steps back, taking a position to defend himself from the Princess. "Very well, then. Do your worst."

Azula bit her lip and shrugged before lifting her right hand. Ozai stepped closer to Xin Long,, watching them intently from a safe enough distance.

Zhao expected to be unable to attack the Princess effectively, but he still had hopes to defend himself from her fire once she unleashed the blue inferno upon him. As strong as she was, he was quite a capable bender, too.

Only, Azula suddenly waved her arms in circular motions, sparks of electricity dancing around her limbs before she outstretched her left hand, casting a blast of lighting right towards the Admiral.

Zhao yelped and dropped on his back. He had never mastered lightning, failing to temper his emotions enough to do so: no doubt Ozai had told the Princess as much at some point, and she would use his weakness to her advantage…

He pushed himself up to his feet, casting two powerful blasts of fire as a defense, but the orange fire turned blue with ease as Azula bent her way through it. Zhao clenched his teeth, throwing out a fist of fire, but she ducked underneath it and performed a pinwheel kick that caught Zhao in the chest.

He was sent rolling down on the ground, his vision swimming, his breath lost. Azula landed flawlessly, her arms stretched out to retain her balance as she looked at her opponent. His exposed chest was heaving, but he seemed mostly unharmed despite the damage he had just received.

"You were fortunate, Zhao!" Ozai called, laughing as he stepped towards his daughter, placing a hand on her shoulder proudly. "You forgot to firebend with that last kick, Azula."

"Oh, I didn't. I just didn't think it'd be appropriate to set the Admiral on fire," said Azula, prompting Ozai to laugh louder yet.

Zhao groaned and pushed himself up to find Azula smiling somewhat apologetically at him. He sighed and shook his head.

"Well, this is certainly the outcome I expected," he said, getting back on his feet and rubbing his chest with a hand. "You're certainly something to behold in action, Princess… though I'd rather just behold it indeed rather than fight you again. Chances are you might even beat your own father if you tried…"

"I… what?" said Azula, her eyes widening. "Well, Admiral, surely you realize…"

"That you'd never fight me?" Ozai asked, smirking. "Certainly, you are far too loyal to genuinely fight me, but truth be told, you must have surpassed me in terms of bending prowess by now… then again, if you have, we have yet to confirm it, don't we?"

Ozai's words froze Azula cold where she stood: was he serious? Did he truly want to train with her now? Fighting Zhao had been amusing, to a degree… but fighting her father daunted her, regardless of her likely superiority in terms of bending. Could she really do it at all?

"Come now, Princess Azula," said Ozai, chuckling. "It has been a long time since I tasted the bitterness of defeat. I wonder if it will taste bitter at all, if it's coming from my very own daughter…"

Azula bit her lip as Ozai took Zhao's previous position. The Admiral appeared utterly elated over having a chance to sit down and stop worrying about training for potential, yet unlikely, Agni Kais, but there was no denying that he was curious, too. He knew Azula and Ozai had trained together in the past, for Ozai had been responsible for teaching his daughter some of the most advanced firebending techniques she knew. Azula's talent was beyond compare, but her reluctance to fight her father was understandable as well: she was a pupil who still had far too much respect for her master to defy him.

Yet she didn't hesitate to bend Ozai's fire when he first cast it towards her. It was a more complicated feat with the Fire Lord's flames, since they were more potent than Zhao's, but Azula had little trouble sliding through the fire and reaching her father, her fingers outstretched, a blast of blue waiting for the right moment to be unleashed.

Her fight with Ozai brought back memories of the days after her mother was gone, for Ozai finally had nobody to stop him from teaching her his techniques as he pleased. He had aided her in her discovery of the ability to bend blue fire, and coached her through her mastery of lightningbending, certain she could achieve the technique in due time, given the endless talent she possessed: she had not disappointed him. She seldom did.

And she certainly didn't that day either. While their fight lasted far longer than Azula's combat with Zhao, Ozai eventually found himself gasping for breath, laughing as he knelt before his daughter, her two deadly fingers stretched towards him, albeit with no fire coating them.

"You yield, I take it?" Azula asked, with a smile. She was breathing heavily as well, but she found she wasn't quite as overwhelmed as her father was. It seemed training as often as she did with Sokka had benefitted her in more ways than she had realized it did.

"You're… you're unstoppable," said Ozai, lifting his gaze to smile back at her. "Well done, Azula."

She laughed and outstretched all her fingers, offering a hand to her father so he could stand upright again. They heard Zhao clapping slowly: he had witnessed their fight while sitting at a nearby rock.

"Thank you, Princess, for granting me such a welcome sight!" he exclaimed, smirking at Ozai. "Not every day do I see Fire Lord Ozai defeated with no contest…"

"Ah, and I certainly won't be defeated that way by you, my friend," said Ozai, smirking back. "Bask in your joy all you want, but I taught her everything she knows, remember?"

Zhao chuckled, and Azula smiled. It was an odd feeling, being around the two men again in this way. It wasn't something new, not at all, but it was different from how it had been in the past. She was no longer a child, hoping to obtain their approval and respect: she already had them – at least, in Ozai's case, she did –, and she had other goals in life than to please her father or impress his best friend. She had changed, even if they didn't know it. It was better that they didn't, too.

Yet she found that having changed didn't hinder her enjoyment of the training with the two firebenders. Her differences with Zhao and Ozai hadn't soured the experience at all: if anything, their sparring had been a welcome distraction from her promised mental self-flagellation over what she'd done to Toph. It had been so welcome that she had ended up sharing her dinner with the two men in Ozai's private dining hall, though she mostly held her silence while listening to them bicker over old times, over Ozai's enjoyment of tormenting Zhao and everything else that might be brought up during their conversation.

"… Truly, though, after all the promotions I've granted you, you should be fully aware of the repercussions of such privileges," Ozai said, smirking before bringing up a mouthful of fried duck to his lips. Zhao snorted.

"The repercussions, as in, becoming your favorite laughingstock?" he asked. Ozai shrugged.

"Well, I can't see a better candidate for that nearby, can you?" he said. Zhao rolled his eyes and laughed.

"What are friends for, eh?" he said, taking a gulp from his wine.

Ozai smiled proudly before his gaze fell on Azula. Invested as he had been in his friendly feud with Zhao, he had forgotten to ask her about her trip.

"Did you win in the Slate, by the way?" he asked Azula. She raised her eyebrows and nodded. Zhao frowned.

"It was the Slate?" he said, surprised. "This is your second victory there, then?"

"Indeed, and the last," Azula said. "We've… surrendered the right to challenge to my uncle and his gladiator, actually."

The pang of guilt she felt upon uttering those words intensified when she heard Ozai laugh. Zhao as well seemed amused.

"An earthbender? In the Slate? Well, that's an interesting move to rid yourself of that competition," said Zhao, stroking his chin.

"Your cleverness never ceases to amaze me, Azula," he said. "Iroh has been a sore thumb for far too long. Perhaps this should remind him to return to the humility he keeps preaching everyone else about."

"Well, that depends on the result, of course," said Azula, endeavoring to remain impassive as she shared her thoughts with the two men. "Knowing his gladiator, she might end up bending lava or something impossible of the sort…"

"That is quite ridiculous. Only an Avatar should be capable of such a feat, and I doubt that skinny little angry thing could be the Avatar," said Ozai. "But… speaking of rare bending skills, Azula, the Head Sage came by only a few days ago, looking for you."

"What? Why?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He wanted to you to help him research your golden fire's special qualities, it seems," said Ozai, smirking. "It's an opportunity you mustn't miss. Staying on that man's good side will be good for you."

"He's never been overly fond of you, has he, Ozai?" Zhao asked. Ozai grunted. "He took a liking to the Princess due to her bending skills, then?"

"I suppose so. It seems that way," Ozai said, looking at Azula. "I recommend that you visit the Temple on occasion, Azula. The man doesn't have quite as much power as he likes to think he does, but he'll make a valuable ally if he takes a genuine liking to you. If he perceives you, instead of your foolish brother, as the rightful heir, the odds for rebellions or civil wars upon your ascent to the throne would decrease greatly."

"I've thought as much," said Azula, nodding. "I'll heed your advice, Father. He should also be less of a concern to you this way, shouldn't he?"

"Indeed. His approval of you was the last thing I needed to proclaim you Crown Princess openly, remember?" said Ozai, smirking. "We must cultivate his interest in your bending and ensure his support for your claim to the throne, too."

Azula nodded, breathing out slowly. So now she had something else to worry about… at the very least, keeping an amicable relationship with the Head Sage wasn't something worrisome to do.

She bid the two men good night once she finished her food, heading to her room in hopes to get proper rest tonight. Far too many things had happened in a short time span, so she could use some time to herself to digest it all…

Yet those thoughts were thrown out the door as she smiled in disbelief upon finding a Royal Guard in his uniform, casually standing near her door. He had warned her he might do this, but she had partially expected his warning to be unfounded…

"Princess," he said, in a fake, deepened voice, probably in a poor imitation of Rui Shi. Azula bit her lip to stifle her laughter.

She pushed the door of her room open, but Sokka didn't follow right away, as a group of servants were passing by just then and there. He kept his position while trying not to seem too tense, but he bolted inside Azula's room as soon as they were out of sight.

"You shouldn't be here, Sokka…" she said, once he closed the door behind him. He smiled and turned to look at her, but he was taken by surprise when she removed his helmet and hood immediately to press a kiss to his lips.

He wasn't going to protest against that, naturally, so he surrounded her with his arms and kissed her back gratefully. Azula sighed as they parted, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

"But I'm still glad that you are," she said. He chuckled.

"Glad to hear it," he said, caressing her hair. "Are you feeling any better yet?"

"About what I did to Toph? Not particularly, no," she said, shrugging. "Though training with my father and Zhao certainly helped me forget about it, however brief it was…"

"Wait, what?" Sokka asked, looking at her in surprise as she smiled. "You… woah, you trained with them? Just like that?"

"My father asked me to join them," said Azula, shrugging. "It was quite an impromptu matter, really. But…"

"You beat them. Both of them," Sokka anticipated, with a wild smile. Azula only laughed as a response and Sokka surrounded her waist with his arms and spun her in circles. "Woo! Look at you, teaching Sideburns a lesson and showing your dad you're better than him, too! Damn, you're on fire!"

"I'd certainly hope I'm not on fire, but I'll be able to put it out if I were…" she replied, smirking. Sokka snorted and laughed out loud. Only he would find such silly wordplay as amusing as Azula did.

She told him about the entire experience as he sat by the foot of the bed. She changed out of her dinner gown into her sleeping robe instead, and he gawked at her nonstop, with a goofy smile and blushing cheeks – there was no denying that she enjoyed the attention.

"… Ah, and it seems the Head Sage wants to investigate my golden fire," she said, smiling dryly before sitting next to Sokka, now fully dressed in her night garb. "No idea if he wants to figure out how I did it, or if he's wondering if it has other possible uses…"

"Might be both things?" said Sokka. "But obviously, if it is, you'll never tell him how you've unlocked it, will you?"

"Clearly, no," said Azula, snorting. "There's no way I'll explain that, not a chance."

"Thought so," said Sokka, smiling. "Do you expect to find any other use for it, though, other than ceremonial bending?"

"No clue," said Azula, making to tie up her hair in a high ponytail. Sokka took the ribbon from her hand, though, and she smiled as he took care of that himself. "If there is, it would be good to discover it. If not, then it'll just mean I'll be spending time with the Head Sage and trying to convince him that I am indeed a worthy Fire Lord-to-be…"

"You should pull it off without a hitch. You're more than worthy," said Sokka, smiling. Azula sighed, as he finished tying up her hair.

"Despite all my mistakes?" asked Azula, stretching back across the bed. "I'm still trying to think of how we'll help the Bandit after what I did. I mean… I guess I'll have to offer to help her train, if nothing else. We could teach her how to fight hand-to-hand, maybe, so that she doesn't have to rely on her bending and nothing more. It's a thought, right?"

"I guess," said Sokka, smiling reassuringly. "We'll find a way to help her out. You'll see."

Azula sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her fingertips.

"I suppose the only thing that bugs me is that we'll be playing my Uncle's game, is all… but it's not like we have a choice," she said, as he leaned down next to her. "Unless he steps up and does his damnedest to help her beat the conditions in the Slate, it would be up to us to do it. And seeing how Iroh and Toph aren't exactly known for preparing for fights…"

"You think we'll have to get involved one way or another, huh?" said Sokka. "You're probably right, too…"

"I'm surprised, though, that you're so calm through all this. Who knew you'd be so patient with my madness," said Azula, sighing. Sokka smiled.

"He pushed you, knowingly, you retaliated. He should've known better, right?" he said. Azula sighed and shrugged.

"I should have known better too, likely. This matter should be between me and him. Maybe after this is over, I'll make sure he understands that," she said. Sokka nodded. "I'm done putting you at risk over his petty, unspoken squabble with me. Nobody else needs to get involved."

"Well, I am involved already, to a degree," said Sokka. "I'll be standing by you, no matter how you resolve it. You can be sure of that."

"Heh, I'm not surprised to hear that," said Azula, smiling weakly. "It's you after all. You always…"

A soft sound outside her door alerted her, making her sit up on the bed with a frown on her face. Sokka didn't hear it, raising his eyebrows with confusion.

"What's…?" he said. Azula put a hand on his mouth, gesturing at him to hide over at her private dining room. Sokka gulped, his heart racing upon realizing just why Azula was acting like this…

He fit the helmet and hood on his head again, and he hid behind the arch that led to the dining area as Azula approached the door silently. He glanced out to watch her, wary of whatever had alerted her so much…

Azula opened the door slowly, staring through the torch-lit corridor with a mild frown. No shadows out of place. No doors open. Nothing seemed amiss, and yet… She clenched her teeth and slammed the door shut.

"Everything okay…?" Sokka asked. She huffed.

"You should go," she said, shaking her head. "As much as I was looking forward to your visit, something's off. And if… if it's Iroh, Sokka, and he…"

"Shh," said Sokka, approaching her and placing a finger over her lips. "Don't say anything incriminating then, if you think someone's onto us. I'm not here, never was."

Azula swallowed hard and nodded as she reached to open the secret trapdoor under her carpet. He climbed down the steps, gritting his teeth at the blatant chagrin on her face. He sighed, raising his helmet so he could kiss her softly, before whispering.

"I'll see you tomorrow. We'll finish this by then," he said, with as little noise as he could. Azula nodded.

"I… I'll wait for that," she said, choosing to abide by his advice. If they were being spied upon somehow, they were better off keeping any incriminating information to themselves, especially regarding the love they professed for each other.

Azula shut down the trapdoor behind him, a heavy frown on her face. She stood up and made for the door, knowing she wouldn't possibly find any eavesdroppers anymore. Her previous attempt to catch them surely had sent them scurrying away, and it would be no use trying to track them down at this point.

Nevertheless, she wandered the corridor briefly, pushing open the nearby doors to find only empty rooms. She huffed and shook her head, wondering if she was imagining things. She might have sent Sokka home for no reason, and that was a true waste indeed…

Yet she was certain the distinct sound she had heard earlier was that of bare feet slapping against the marble floor.

---

Sokka was woken from his sleep abruptly by a hand that shook his shoulder. The one person who would wake him in mornings was Azula, so even though he had been deprived of a few hours of sleep, he smiled widely even before opening his eyes.

"Azula…?" he whispered. But the response made him frown, and his smile fell quickly.

"Nope. Just plain old Song," said his friend, prompting him to rub his eyes as his groggy brain struggled to come back to full functions. "I'm sorry for waking you like this, but someone was asking for you. Not the Princess, obviously, since she would have come here immediately if she wanted to see you…"

"Who, then?" Sokka asked, sitting up and looking at Song with only one eye open, one eyebrow raised.

"I don't know who it is, actually," said Song, standing upright and looking at him with confusion. "She's short, with black hair, green-and-yellow clothes and… well, I'm not really sure, but she seems to be blind even though she walks without a problem…?"

Sokka's stomach sank, and his drowsiness fled him instantly. Curse it, he wasn't sure he was prepared to deal with Toph this early in the morning. Not after what had happened over the Slate's challenge, anyways.

Song left while he dressed up, the gears in his mind finally set in motion again as he readied himself for what awaited him outside his room. Whatever Toph wanted, he would find a way to ask her if she knew if Iroh had been snooping around Azula's bedroom. The sooner they knew for sure if the old man knew about them, the sooner they'd be able to act on it…

"Ah, Dog! Morning!" Toph said, smiling as Sokka climbed down the stairs, nodding in her direction.

"Hey, there. It's sort of early for a visit, don't you think?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck before frowning as he stood before her. "And on top of that, how do you know where I live? Did you ask Rui Shi for the address or something?"

Over at the kitchen, Song flinched just hearing the Captain's name. Her face flushed, and she decided she'd do best to leave to the library early today. If they would talk about him, she wouldn't be able to do anything but stress about their budding, but now certainly decaying, relationship…

"Rui Shi?" Toph repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"You know, the Captain of Azula's guards?"

"Oh, no. I didn't ask him, of course not," she said, as Song walked out into the living room again, smiling as calmly as she could.

"I've left your breakfast in the kitchen, Sokka," she said. "I'll be off to the library now…"

"Huh, sure," said Sokka, nodding at her. Song had been rather busy these days, studying Fire Nation medicine most diligently.

"No guard told me about this place, Dog," Toph repeated, once Song was gone. "I just found it."

"How?" Sokka asked again, frowning. Toph shrugged.

"Earthbending."

"What? Earthbending? But this is a wooden house, and you can't see all that well through wood. I remember as much," he said, pointing a finger at her. "What's this, Toph? How did you get here at all?"

"You're seriously questioning my methods, Dog?" Toph asked, smirking. "Come on, I'm not lying. Earthbending got me here, whether you like it or not."

"But that's still just…!" Sokka said, but he fell silent upon noticing movement in the backyard: Azula was here.

Ah, what he would have given for a morning of privacy with her. They hadn't had a proper chance to be alone together since he had snuck into her cabin in the Barge, but it seemed none of their plans to spend quality time with each other would pay off these days.

Azula frowned with confusion, but she was amused still upon sighting Sokka inside. She climbed off Xin Long's back, patting his head gently before heading inside.

"You're awake so early? That's rare…" she started, but the look Sokka gave her made her slow down on her footsteps.

He wasn't alone: that was what the grimace and gesture at the couch meant. Azula froze. She raised her eyebrows in confusion before entering the house.

"Why… you have a visitor? That's unexpected," she said, heading inside.

"I'm the reason he had to get up early," Toph said, snickering. Azula froze momentarily as she recognized the blind girl sitting with arms outstretched on the living room's crimson couch. "Sorry, Jewel. I didn't mean to steal the privilege of waking him up."

"That's not… not quite a privilege, I'll say," said Azula, stepping towards Sokka while still profoundly uneasy about the earthbender's presence. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, just dropping by to make a little request," said Toph, smiling and putting her hands behind her head. Azula frowned.

"If you want me to withdraw the Slate's challenge, I fear I…"

"What? Why would I want you to do that?" Toph asked. Her genuine surprise at that question only startled both the Princess and her gladiator.

"Well… don't you think it's too risky for an earthbender to fight at the Slate?" Sokka asked. She huffed, waving a hand carelessly.

"As if. I don't care if everyone expects me to fail there, I know I won't," she said, proudly.

"You really are reckless, aren't you?" said Azula, frowning. "Do you disregard your own safety that much?"

"I could ask you both the very same thing, couldn't I?"

Silence settled in the living room as both Azula and Sokka eyed Toph with a mix of wariness and confusion. The earthbender smirked, relaxing against the backrest of the couch.

"I do appreciate your concern for my safety in the Slate, I'll say," she said, leaning back and stretching her neck. "And heck, if you guys want to teach me hand-to-hand combat as you said you would, I won't mind. But really… you should probably hide your little secret a bit better if you don't want earthbenders with seismic sense to discover you. Just saying."

Sokka opened his mouth, thinking to say something, but no words came out. He was petrified where he stood, cold sweat pearling on his brow. He glanced at Azula, terrified: she would be outraged, she would forbid him to ever set foot in the Palace again, or maybe she would punch Toph as hard as she could in an attempt to damage her memory and force her to forget what she had discovered.

Perhaps his thoughts were exaggerated… yet the golden glare Azula fixed upon the earthbender was truly one of the deadliest Sokka had ever seen in Azula's eyes. It seemed she was capable of anything and everything to defend their secret right now, and the blind girl lacked even the measliest amount of self-awareness required to understand the danger she had brought upon herself with her unexpected confession…